1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a simulation test system and methods for testing a vehicle electronic component, wherein the methods are capable of easily testing the performance of electronic components without repeating the same driving test anytime regardless of location.
2. Related Art
In general, when a new electronic component is developed, whether the electronic component operates without malfunction is preferably tested. For example, after a newly developed vehicle component is mounted on a vehicle, performance of the component or erroneous operation of the component is suitably tested through a vehicle driving test under various conditions.
In the case where it is necessary to perform the performance test on the vehicle electronic component under certain special conditions, for example, conditions that are different from typical road or climate conditions in the country where in the vehicle electronic component was developed (e.g. an overseas region), it can be suitably difficult in that the overseas region with these special conditions must be visited such that a performance test can be performed on the electronic component. Further, such a test is preferably repeated whenever the electronic component is upgraded, which results in considerable cost and inefficiency.
Generally, a test or an error diagnosis of the vehicle electronic component has been performed where an expert senses and notes, for example, an erroneous lighting of a lamp, malfunction of a navigation system, an error or not of an audio system, an erroneous operation of a gear transmission, noise of an engine, and/or erroneous operations of other electronic components depending on his sensation while driving the vehicle.
When an erroneous operation of an electronic component with a plurality of input/output ports such as an airbag control unit (ACU) is detected, it is generally not easy to find that the erroneous operation occurs due to any cause, for example, due to an error of a signal input to any port. Further, when such an erroneous operation is found to occur only under certain specific conditions, then such specific conditions should preferably be reproduced in order to verify whether a defect related to the erroneous operation is suitably removed, even in a case where the related electronic component is improved. Accordingly, the vehicle driving test should be repeated under the same driving conditions as prior conditions and on the same road as a prior road, which requires a considerable effort and cost.
The above information disclosed in this the Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.